Writs fly as politics and pop clash on the podium

Tom Petty was none too pleased when Michele Bachmann used his song 'American Girl' to launch her election bid. Guy Adams reports

(AP)

It's started. Sixteen months before America goes to the polls, voters have been treated to that enduring staple of the modern presidential election season: a left-leaning musician trying to sue a Republican candidate for using one of their songs on the campaign trail.

At opposing sides of the latest musical showdown are Tom Petty, the blues-rock legend famous for bad haircuts and faded denim, and Michele Bachmann, the gaffe-prone Congresswoman from Minnesota who on Monday travelled to Iowa to launch a bid for the leadership of the free world.

Lawyers representing Mr Petty have fired a "cease-and-desist" letter to the ultra-conservative Ms Bachmann after learning that she left the podium at the televised event to a 29-second clip from the opening of his 1977 hit, "American Girl".

The musician is understood to be upset that the track has been misappropriated without his permission, and concerned that fans may infer that he has somehow endorsed a candidate whose political beliefs clash with his own social principles. Ms Bachmann is a vigorous opponent of gay rights, a lifelong campaigner against abortion, and an evangelical Christian who does not believe in the theory of evolution and argues that creationism ought to be taught instead in the nation's schools.

Mr Petty, however, has a long and public history of filing lawsuits against Republicans who use his music without permission. In 2000, he succeeded in forcing George W Bush to stop using "Won't back down" as his campaign theme.

Although copyright law has always been unclear on the use of clips from famous songs at political rallies, the history of controversy starts with Ronald Reagan, who upset Bruce Springsteen by attempting to use the track "Born in the USA" as his election campaign theme.

Similar disputes have erupted in every election season since. For obvious reasons, Democratic candidates generally find themselves given a freer pass by recording artists. Many Republican candidates, particularly at the conservative end of the spectrum, find it hard to get any popular musician to endorse them.

By way of an experiment, yesterday's Washington Post spent hours trying to find a popular musician who would allow Bachmann to use their tunes. They found just one: the famously conservative rock star and gun-rights advocate Ted Nugent.